My thoughts on just about anything, in no particular order; Robert Thomas - fantasy author.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

The wet head is dead

Unfortunately as we age we lose some of the vigor to play we had as children. We grow up and to some extent become more conservative. I'm not talking politics or jobs or views on life and family et al. Perhaps it is a reaction to our physical self. At thirty, one starts to see his/her body isn't quite in step with the way it was in their twenties.

And it gets worse. In your forties you still think you have the moves to compete but then you find out you can't move your legs the next day. In your fifties, all hope is lost. Our week in Hilton Head was relaxing. We had a chance to romp in the ocean, stroll down the beach and lay pool-side. Several days into this demanding schedule I began to notice something. I watched for an hour and verified my 'scientific observations' over the next few days.

Down at the beach most of those in the water were children or men with fishing poles. We had one intrepid gentleman with a metal detector waist deep in the waves. The water wasn't cold but did have a slight chill to it. The pool however was just cold. I watched as adults slid around the pool and waded waist deep into the blue abyss, but virtually no adult (sans me) got their head wet!

Both men and women swam around without letting their locks touch the water. I will say more women were in the water than men but it was the same story every day. When did we become so grown up that we couldn't get our head wet on vacation. I understand women are extremely finicky how their hair looks at any particular minute of the day and most men just don't care. But to be ocean-side and splash in a pool and stay dry leaves all your childhood tendencies in the dust, a sellout to the adult world of rules and conservatism. It's not that your head has to stay dry because you're going out to dinner later. Jeesh, you still have to take a shower due to all the sun lotion and sweat.

So, come on, let out your inner child and dunk someone! (Except for North of 50 whose head swells like a basketball if he gets water in his ear). You are exempt, all others, play like you're ten. That's what a vacation is for.